“I’m not normally fond of the industrial strength air fresheners you find in many public restrooms: overly sweet, chemical floral scents that only intensify the aromas they’re designed to cover up. So when I first walked into the women’s restroom of my old neighborhood library and heard the soft hiss of the air freshener dispenser, I was unprepared for the immediate rush of nostalgia and longing I felt. It smelled sort of like a cheap, chemical-interpretation of vanilla with a very sweet, slightly fruity undertone. And then I knew: Apricot. Not the fruit, but the doll. Like all of the Strawberry Shortcake dolls, Apricot was scented; like all of the others, she smelled very sweet and artificial and nothing like the fruit she was named for.

Apricot was one of Strawberry Shortcake’s buddies. She was younger than most of the others, and she had white curly pigtails and freckles and a soft hat and a smiling, pink-cheeked pet bunny named Hopsalot, and I secretly longed to be her. I desperately wanted to be so adorable that I was irresistible, to be the child who strangers want to hug and older kids want to look after. And now, when I smell the air freshener at the library, I realize that part of me still longs to be so adorable and perfect that everyone will love me, and then everything will be okay.

And I still want curly pigtails.”

Awwww. Thanks, Joanna!

*If you’d like to send me a submission, use the titleofthisblog, no spaces between the words, at gmail.com to contact me. Thanks to dana-elizabeth for the image.

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About Samantha

Samantha Soma is an erstwhile aromatherapist, collects vintage and modern perfumes, and is in love with the sense of smell. She lives in the Northwest, which means that books, coffee, wine, beer, and humidity play large roles in her personal experience.

4 Responses to Guest Post: Apricot and Hopsalot

Fantastic. I know exactly what you are talking about! That is such a nostalgic smell for me and once in wild wiff, I am 6 years old sitting in my room and wonderering what am I going to do today🙂
Thank you for that!